


A Complicated Task

by madmeridian



Series: Expectations [2]
Category: Death Note & Related Fandoms, Death Note (Anime & Manga)
Genre: Alpha/Beta/Omega Dynamics, Alternate Universe - Royalty, Established Relationship, F/M, Fluff, M/M, Marriage Proposal, Matt being awkward, Mello and Near being supportive, Multi, This is very sappy, Tooth-Rotting Fluff
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-27
Updated: 2020-08-27
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:02:39
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,422
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26135440
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/madmeridian/pseuds/madmeridian
Summary: With things finally cooling down, Matt finally has his chance to propose to Linda.It’s not as easy as he thought, but he has good help.
Relationships: Linda/Matt | Mail Jeevas, Mello | Mihael Keehl/Near | Nate River
Series: Expectations [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1897828
Comments: 8
Kudos: 13





	A Complicated Task

**Author's Note:**

> This is super sappy and I have no excuse
> 
> It says it in the story, but this takes place about a month after the end of Expectations. If you have not read Expectations, I suggest you do before reading this or some stuff might be confusing.
> 
> Not beta’d. Sorry for any typos!

Matt knew that he was the luckiest guy on the planet. 

Okay, well maybe not considering his shitty ass childhood and the fact that his friend nearly died recently, but Linda made him feel like he was the luckiest. 

He'd wanted to propose for a while. The timing had never quite been right. First there had been dealing with the wedding. Then helping Mello and Near keep a low profile, which meant he and Linda had to as well. Proposing was out of the question there. Of course, Mello had then challenged his father, leading to a funeral and coronation. 

So many things had been happening, but now that things were cooling down, he could finally propose.

Though Matt knew he probably wouldn't have done it even then. He still had no clue how to propose to Linda. The ring he'd chosen was pretty, elegant. A golden one with pretty gems. Matt hadn't had a clue how to pick out a ring, but the jeweler had aided him wonderfully to create the perfect one. It was quite a dent in his savings, but as far as he was concerned, Linda was worth it. 

And now, how to do it? 

It was a bit of a situation, considering Matt didn’t know how to approach this at all, but he now had a perfect solution. Linda didn't have many of her own friends, always throwing herself into work or her hobbies or Matt. But now there was an in. A person who knew Linda well. 

Near. 

Well, it wasn't his best plan. Yes, Near was clever and a great friend of Linda's. But he'd also never been through a proper proposal, nor did Matt think he would have any real expertise to offer on the matter. 

It was a step up from only him. Mello had taught him many things, but this was one situation where Matt would not be able to rely on him. Other than his best friend, Near was really the only one to turn to. 

It was nearly a month after the coronation that Matt decided to pay Near a visit after dinner. Linda had mentioned that the Omega was getting more and more tired recently, which Matt had thought was a sign of a certain something, but had kept to himself. Linda would figure it out soon enough if she hadn’t already. Regardless of cause, it created a perfect opportunity to catch the Omega alone, without Linda close by. 

The door to the Kings' chambers was large, ornate, and heavy. Matt knocked on it lightly, sure that it wouldn't sound through the thick doors. Secretly, he wished it hadn't. He was regretting coming here, anxiety creeping in his chest. But it was too late to bail, Near's muffled voice answering from the other side.

"Come in." 

He cautiously entered. Near was already in his nightclothes, sitting up and tucked under the thick blankets. His dark eyes widened a bit in shock. Clearly he had not expected Matt, which was entirely fair. The only time the Alpha had come in the room was with Mello’s invitation and presence.

"Hi," Matt said awkwardly, standing in the doorway. He'd assumed that Near wouldn't be in bed already, though he didn't seem to mind Matt's presence despite his state. 

"I'm surprised," Near said flatly. "You don't have to stand here." He gestured to a chair near the bed. Matt took a seat, watching Near's face. As usual, it was perfectly still. 

"I need some advice," Matt started. 

"From me?" Near tipped his head, frowning ever so slightly. Matt nodded quietly and pulled out the box that held the engagement ring. Near carefully plucked it from Matt's hand and opened it. 

"I wanted to propose to Linda. I don't know how." 

"I knew that you wanted to propose," Near said, now sounding slightly amused. "You told me when you were drunk. After the coronation? Mind you, Linda heard it too."

"Mello told me," Matt grumbled. He wasn't pleased that it had gotten out, but it was his own fault and it had actually eased some of his nerves. Linda wouldn't be completely surprised by it. She'd had time to think about it carefully. At the very least, she wouldn't be running away in shock. It would be a simple yes or no.

"It's a pretty ring." Near was holding it carefully, studying it. "She'll like it."

"Thanks," Matt said, sitting a bit stiffly. He was still unsure of etiquette right now, but he needed someone to help him. This situation probably wasn’t appropriate considering their respective statuses, but if Near didn’t mind he wouldn’t be in trouble since Mello wouldn’t care either. 

"As for what to do, I do not know. Have you thought of any ideas?" 

"Not really. I mean, I would assume I would take her out to dinner, but I wanted to make it special." 

"You know Linda better than anyone, Matt." 

"Yes, but it hasn't helped."

"You're going about it the wrong way then," Near said, offering the ring back. "I'm certain that Linda would not want something extravagant. She'll already scold you for the ring, it was clearly quite expensive. I suggest something smaller if you want to avoid her chiding you for it all. You know what Linda's favorites are. Use that to your advantage." 

Matt nodded. His regret was fading away as the cogs in his brain started turning. His eyes caught something on the wall and he stared. It gave him a wonderful idea. 

"I know what to do." He jumped up and nearly ran out of the room, but stopped short. "Thank you, Near." 

"Anytime," Near said evenly, waving him out. Matt left the room and nearly bumped headlong into Mello. 

"What the hell were you doing in there?" Mello asked, completely confused but luckily not angry. The Alpha didn’t seem particularly bothered. 

"Ask Near!" Matt shouted, running down the hall. He had work to do.

Matt spent days perfecting his plan. He'd gone over it with Near, who'd provided advice to him a few more times, and Mello too. He was ready for this. 

He was going to propose and it was going to be perfect. 

The first step was to convince the rest of the staff to take care of his duties, as well as Linda’s, for the rest of the evening. They'd done it with only slight reluctance. Mello was a difficult man to deal with, generally working late hours of the night, but they'd agreed more easily because he'd begun to join Near in bed early and they probably wouldn’t even have to worry about anything. 

He'd also gotten the kitchen staff to cook Linda's favorite dishes for dinner. There was candles and wine and it was the perfect cliche dinner, but Linda had always loved their dates like this regardless. She'd smiled brightly when she saw the setup and kissed him on the cheek. 

"A break, finally," Linda said, sitting down and sighing in relief. "I could use one." They’d both been working their asses off. This was well deserved, even ignoring what Matt was going to do.

"I've got another thing planned, so don't get too comfortable," Matt teased. She raised an eyebrow. 

"What is it?" 

"A surprise," Matt said, taking a bite to stop himself from giving anything away. Linda didn't press it, leaning back with a fond smile. She chattered on and on as she usually did and Matt was content to listen to her. He was never as talkative as her, not even close, and he was glad to hear her talk his ear off. 

She'd loved dinner. Matt hadn't planned a dessert, since Linda didn't like sweets much and she always got full too fast for it anyway. 

After they ate, it was nearly sundown. Matt dragged her up a hill on the castle grounds, to one of the gazebos overlooking the gardens. As Matt had asked, there were two easels, two canvases, and a whole lot of paint. 

"Matt?" 

"You always talk about needing more time to paint," Matt said nervously. "I thought we could do it together. Unless you don't want to." 

"Of course I do," she responded, whacking him playfully. "Come on. Let’s paint." 

"I thought we could play a little game," Matt suggested, picking up a brush. Linda hummed, listening to him, but also sort of not as she observed what sorts of colors and brushes were available to her. "We don't look at each other's painting's till we're done."

"Deal," Linda said. "But it takes me a while. It won't be my best since I'll be rushing a bit. I usually take more time." 

"It's okay. Mine's going to look like a five year old did it." Linda laughed and got to work, focused on painting. Matt always thought it was adorable, the way she worked. Her tongue just barely poking out, eyes so focused and hardened as if she were trying to intimidate the paint into bending to her will. Matt peeked at her face every so often as he worked on his own. 

So as not to draw suspicion, he painted the background the color of the sunset, with deep reds and oranges and yellows. He'd practiced this a bit, learning to blend the colors properly into a nice sort of background. It had worked out well that these happened to be some of Linda’s favorite colors. 

Then he used black to paint each letter perfectly, as neatly as Near had taught him. The albino usually had terrible handwriting, but he knew how to make it look lovely if he took his time. He'd taught Matt to do the same over the past few days. 

He'd finished before Linda but she didn't seem to notice. She was normally a ball of energy, always friendly and talkative. When painting, she became so quiet and still that Matt was sure she wasn't the same person. 

She finished when it was darker out, but there were lights in the gazebo, lighting it up beautifully. It was clear out, the stars sparkling faintly against the night sky.

"You’re done?" she asked. 

"I want to see yours first." Linda nodded and turned her easel towards him. Matt never ceased to be amazed by Linda's talents. 

The garden she'd painted, similar to the one down below, was perfectly done, the lighting from the sunset that was now long gone perfectly captured in Linda’s own unique detail. Two people were in the garden and it was pretty clear to Matt who it was supposed to be. He smiled at the little addition, something Linda had probably added as a reminder of their date. 

"Now let's see yours," Linda said, smirking a bit. "I want to see what you've done." She knew Matt was shit at painting, but she did like to see him dabble in her hobby.

"Alright." Matt turned his easel with one hand, the other stuck in his pocket. His heart was practically jumping out of his chest, and everything around him seemed static. Unmoving. Was he really going to do this? 

Well, no turning back now. He had already written the words on the canvas. Not to mention, Mello and Near would kick his ass if he chickened out. 

Linda's eyes widened when she read the 'will you marry me?' set against the semi-decent background. Matt pulled out the ring box and immediately fumbled it, dropping it. He cursed and picked it up, but his hand were shaking so badly. He knelt on the ground and held it up. Linda was laughing at him fondly, the biggest, brightest, most beautiful smile on her face. 

"You're such a dork," she said, shaking her head. "Yes, I'll marry you." Matt cheered and hugged her, nearly dropping the ring again. He tried to put it on her finger but she had to do it herself in the end because his hands were still trembling like crazy, as if he had the chills. He had been so fucking nervous.

Linda had hugged him tightly again after she’d put the ring on. He inhaled her scent, warm and welcoming, and pressed a kiss to her cheek and then to her lips. He had thought the idea was a little out there, but Linda seemed happy. That was all that mattered.

They walked back to the castle, hand in hand, smiling like idiots. Just inside, past the door, was a pale figure waiting patiently, his tall, blonde shadow hovering behind. Matt rolled his eyes, but he was secretly beaming that they were here. The pair had known he was going to propose and were absolutely standing there just to see if everything went well. 

Their eyes were focused on Linda’s hand, on the ring. Near slowly started forward, reaching out to hug Linda. Mello crushed Matt in a hug, patting his back just a little too hard. He winced and hugged back. 

"We came out to make sure it didn't go bad," Near said bluntly. "And to congratulate you if it went well."

“We,” Mello scoffed. “There was no we. He wanted to and I had to come with because he would’ve made it worse if it had gone bad.”

“You two,” Linda said, laughing. “Did you have something to do with this all too?”

"Near helped me with the idea," Matt chuckled, hugging the short Omega, who whispered a quiet congratulations to him. Mello was nicer to Linda, embracing her far more gently than he had with Matt. Asshole.

"Of course," Linda said. "I'm not surprised, you said you wanted his advice when you were wasted."

"Why do you guys always have to bring that up?" Matt cried. Mello and Linda laughed at him while Near smirked, looking smug.

They stopped teasing him so that they could go to sleep, though Mello promised to not let it go. Mello and Near retreated to their room to leave the newly engaged couple alone. Matt and Linda were both tired and went to their separate quarters, holding hands and still giggling the entire way back. Matt couldn’t stop himself from smiling the whole time, which hurt his cheeks since he rarely did it. 

He knew that the next few months would be quite a bit busy planning their wedding, but he was excited to finally be engaged. Nobody had warned him that asking one question would be such a complicated task, but he had done it. Linda kissed his cheek and bid him goodnight, leaving him smiling and content.

**Author's Note:**

> Hello everyone! I didn’t mean to take this long to get this done, but here I am. I lost my motivation due to some complications but I’m getting back into everything. 
> 
> I don’t know if you could tell by this fic but I was really wanting to write some super sweet stuff. Meronia and Lawlight aren’t really ships I can write as super sweet and open about it, but Matt/Linda? I go overboard. It’s not the best thing I’ve written, but it’s something I wanted to do. Also I wanted to kinda put in a thing about Linda and her artistic abilities. I know she mostly drew from what we saw of her in DN, but I said fuck it she’s gonna paint too. Idk 
> 
> I did get two requests for Expectations side fics, so I’m looking forward to those. The next one I will be doing will be how L and Light got together! I’m hoping to have that one up in a few days. 
> 
> And obviously if there’s something you’d like to see, feel free to comment or send it over on [tumblr](https://madmeridian.tumblr.com)! I don’t post much but I’ll respond to any asks I get (even if it’s not about an Expectations side fics).
> 
> Thanks for reading! I appreciate any comments or kudos! As usual, if you comment, I will do my best to respond to you <3


End file.
